24: Can you still run away?

Ling Yunfan, whose leg was still not fully healed, limped around the large residential complex for ten minutes.

A security guard, noticing his difficulty, approached him with a frown and asked, “Where are you from? Scouting the place?”

Ling Yunfan replied, “How could I? I’m just looking for the entrance.”

The conscientious security guard then escorted Ling Yunfan to the main gate of the residential complex.

Ling Yunfan expressed his gratitude and thanked him repeatedly.

When he exited the residential complex and arrived at the roadside, Ling Yunfan suddenly remembered something.

He had no phone, no money, and did not know where he was.

Surveying the surroundings, he found that the road was spacious and clean, probably because it was a gathering place for high-end residential complexes. However, pedestrians and passing vehicles were rare. Occasionally, an aunt walked her dog, but it was inconvenient for Ling Yunfan, who limped around, to find someone to ask for directions.

But as the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Ling Yunfan had an idea.

He thought that he could pay the taxi fare when he reaches the destination. He could just take a taxi to the restaurant first and then ask Brother Xiong for help with the money. Afterward, he could return the money to Brother Xiong.

With this idea in mind, Ling Yunfan walked to the roadside, ready to hail a taxi when one passed by.

As the sky gradually darkened, stars dotted the silky night sky, and the temperature dropped around him.

Just as Ling Yunfan was scanning his surroundings, he suddenly noticed someone standing under a street lamp not far away.

That person leaned against the lamppost, talking on the phone, with a face full of fat and crude behavior.

As Ling Yunfan recognized his face, his heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran down his spine.

It was one of the men who had broken into his home to collect debts.

It was as unlucky as Cao Cao meeting Jiang Gan during his escape. ^[1]During a critical moment in a battle, the warlord Cao Cao was betrayed by his trusted advisor, Jiang Gan. This betrayal occurred at a time when Cao Cao was already in a difficult or unlucky … Continue reading

Ling Yunfan forced himself to remain calm, turned around, and walked away from the man, limping one step at a time, trying to distance himself from the area without drawing attention.

At the next moment, two men approached him from opposite directions and suddenly grabbed him, each twisting his arm while one covered his mouth to prevent him from screaming.

Ling Yunfan refused to be bound and immediately struggled to escape, but a crackling sound rang out, and he suddenly felt as though his waist was being stabbed by thousands of needles, causing half of his body to instantly become numb and weak, and he fell down.

A passerby came by and looked at them suspiciously.

One of the men, a very experienced one, smiled calmly and said, “He’s my friend, he’s drunk.”

The passerby looked disgusted, afraid of being involved with a drunkard, and quickly walked away.

The two men were obviously familiar with the surrounding environment and immediately dragged Ling Yunfan into a dark alleyway where no one was present, and then made a phone call.

“What are you doing?” The man with a face full of fat arrived shortly after and asked displeasedly, “Didn’t I tell you to find me on the side of the road? What’s going on?”

“Take a look, boss.” One of the men pressed Ling Yunfan’s knee, ignoring the pain on Ling Yunfan’s face, and forcefully lifted his head by grabbing his chin.

“Hey, what a coincidence, an old acquaintance.” The fat-faced man bent down to look closely and said with surprise, “Kid, you’re good, you actually managed to hide in this area. This area is all high-end residential areas. How about it? Did you make some money? Are you here to provide service for one of the bosses around here?”

The other two men laughed obscenely.

The fat-faced man lit a cigarette and said, “I’m not unreasonable, as long as you can produce the money now, I’ll let you go immediately, but if you can’t, then you’ll come with me and do something for me to pay off your debt. Look, the road is already paved for you. Is there anything better than this in the world?”

Ling Yunfan gritted his teeth and glared at the man without saying a word.

The fat-faced man exhaled smoke and took out his phone to send a location to someone. “Bring the van over here,” he said.

Ling Yunfan knew that he had to stay calm at this moment, and calmly looked around, preparing to find an opportunity to escape.

“What are you looking around for?” The man who was holding Ling Yunfan down scolded him. “Do you think we’ll let you run away again?”

The man with a fat face turned around upon hearing a voice, and while putting away his phone, he said, “This kid is too slippery, we need to teach him a lesson.”

Before Ling Yunfan could even understand what the phrase “teach him a lesson” meant, the man beside him picked up a stone from the alleyway, tossed it a few times, and suddenly lifted it to smash it against Ling Yunfan’s ankle.

In an instant, intense pain surged through every nerve in his body from his ankle, and an instinctual scream escaped Ling Yunfan’s throat. Then, he gasped for air and curled up in agony, reaching to fiercely pinch his own leg to try and alleviate the pain.

“See what happens when you’re not obedient,” the man threw away the stone and sneered, “Run, keep running.”

“Too noisy,” the fat-faced man disdained Ling Yunfan’s groans and said in annoyance, “Gag him, the car should be arriving soon.”

The man took off his coat, used the sleeve to cover Ling Yunfan’s mouth, and pressed down on his tongue.

A mix of sweat, cigarette smoke, and a pungent odor flowed from the sleeve and filled Ling Yunfan’s nose. The excruciating pain from his ankle seemed to be bone-shattering and lasted for a long time. Ling Yunfan lay on the ground, completely motionless, feeling despair and helplessness tightly entangling his neck like a rope.

Ling Yunfan shivered, and his heart was in a panic.

What should I do? If I am really caught, what awaits me would likely be the treatment even more severe than now.

No, I couldn’t just sit still and do nothing. I would rather struggle to death than be caught like a fish in a net.

Thinking of this, Ling Yunfan gritted his teeth, propped himself up with his hands, and forced himself to jump forward despite the excruciating pain in his ankle.

After the man injured Ling Yunfan’s ankle, he thought he was like a fish on the chopping board and didn’t restrain him any further. Instead, he just stood by the side. The man never expected Ling Yunfan to still struggle, so he quickly blocked the entrance to the alley.

However, Ling Yunfan didn’t intend to run away. Instead, he rushed forward, picked up the stone that the man had just thrown away, and quickly leaned against the wall with his back. He held up his hand with the stone high up in the air, tightly biting his teeth, his eyes flashing with a bloody color, and his body posture displaying an intention to beat to death anyone who dared to come closer.

It was at this moment that a stern reprimand suddenly came from the alleyway entrance.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

The familiar voice caused Ling Yunfan’s eyes to widen in disbelief, and he turned his head to look.

Ling Yunfan’s gaze pierced through the dimly lit alley and landed on the person standing at the entrance, looking in disbelief.

At that moment, chaotic emotions flooded Ling Yunfan like a tsunami. He was ecstatic because he had found a way out of his predicament, yet anxious and afraid that Ji Canghai might get involved.

Seeing Ling Yunfan covered in dust and looking disheveled, Ji Canghai furrowed his brows, and without hesitation, he strode forward.

A man stepped forward to block Ji Canghai and grumbled, “This guy owes us money. It’s only right that he pays his debts. Mind your own business and leave.”

“Owes money?” Ji Canghai was surprised.

Ling Yunfan pursed his lips and lowered his head.

“How much does he owe you?” Ji Canghai asked again.

“Why do you care? Are you going to help him pay it back?” the fat-faced man sneered.

“I’ll help him pay it back. How much does he owe?” Ji Canghai said.

The men were all stunned, and Ling Yunfan looked at Ji Canghai in shock.

The fat-faced man reacted quickly and pulled out his phone, “Wait, let me check.” After a moment, he said, “1.87 million…oh wait, he sold his house and paid off some of it, now he owes 360,000 yuan with interest.”

“Okay, I’ll pay it back,” Ji Canghai took out his phone, and in no time, the fat-faced man received the money.

“Okay, we’ll let it go this time. One less debtor to chase after. I’m happy to have less trouble,” the fat-faced man exclaimed and waved his hand, taking his men with him as they left.

For a moment, the dark alley was only left with Ji Canghai and Ling Yunfan.